FBI Season 8 Episode 2 Demonstrates Exactly Why Canceling FBI: International Was A Huge Mistake

Critic’s Rating: 3.5 / 5.0

3.5

FBI Season 8 Episode 2 was giving strong FBI: International vibes.

The New York Field Office spent the better part of the hour searching for a Russian prisoner who had escaped with the help of a bunch of AK-47 wielding allies, so how could my mind not go there?

And then Jubal’s final scene with the woman from Other Government Agency (seriously, what’s with that name?) teed up the perfect opening for an FBI: International episode that can never happen now.

FBI Season 8 Episode 2’s Case Wasn’t Interesting Until International Criminals Got Involved

The first half of the episode wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t anything special either.

Chasing down two painting thieves seemed like a low-stakes case for one of the most elite FBI teams in the United States, and I wasn’t sure I bought the excuse that the guard’s death made it an FBI matter rather than an NYPD one.

Everything that followed from the guard’s death seemed like par for the course: questioning the wrong suspects, going on the foot chases that seem to be mandatory in every episode, and Scola going undercover.

Scola’s attempts to get the art thief to trust him enough to lead him to the stolen paintings was more compelling than the rest, but even that was giving me a strong sense of deja vu.

FBI is formulaic television, but there needs to be room to do original work within that formula, and the first half of this episode didn’t do that.

Most of the scenes felt like the same old thing we’ve had for the past seven seasons, which was not a good sign for this episode (or for the season).

Scola and Maggie’s Pair-Up Was Enjoyable

That’s not to say there weren’t moments I enjoyed — I liked Maggie temporarily partnering with Scola near the beginning and trying to get him to talk about his feelings after Dani’s funeral.

But the whole thing felt a little too familiar.

Ideally, each episode should feel fresh even if it follows the same basic formula, which this didn’t.

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That changed after Evan was arrested.

I don’t know how he figured out that Scola was a cop, but the moment before he threw the table over and tried to run was the most tense in the first half of the episode, and I didn’t even mind the chase.

Evan Tipped Off The Team to An International Crime, Changing Everything

Technically, the crime still took place only on US soil, though it involved a Russian criminal.

Still, this would have. been the perfect time for a cameo appearance from one of the members of the Fly Team.

This would also have solved the problem of FBI: International‘s series finale keeping everyone in the dark about who got the GS-15 promotion — the team could have had a call with Cameron Vo that would also establish that she became the new leader of the Fly Team.

Either way, it would have made sense for Jubal to consult with the Fly Team over a Russian prisoner who was using a guy in Belarus as leverage.

FBI: International is off the air, but that doesn’t mean the Fly Team has ceased to exist, and even a one-sided phone call would have made sense here.

Unfortunately, FBI chose to go with the idea of out-of-sight, out-of-mind and the only help Jubal got was from the lady from the non-descript sister agency.

The Final Five Minutes Reinforced How Much This Story Needed FBI: International

Jubal’s erstwhile partner from the other agency informed him that her agency would not, in fact, do anything to help the man in Beralus and coldly informed Jubal that this was just how the game was played, but Jubal would have had recourse if anyone had acknowledged the Fly Team’s existence.

If FBI: International Season 5 was a thing, the second half of this story would have played out on there, with the Fly Team working to free the man despite Other Government Agency refusing to lift a finger to help.

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It also annoyed me that this woman acted like Jubal had never dealt with an international case before when the Fly Team often consulted him and he’d even gone to Budapest to help bring a child trafficker to justice.

It’s bad enough that FBI: International is off the air. Do we need to pretend it never existed?

I know they were going for the gut-putch ending, but come on!

Other Random Thoughts About FBI Season 8 Episode 2

• Who was this guy that Maggie was turning to for mentorship? Have I forgotten him or is he a brand new character?
• I could relate to Maggie feeling like she doesn’t recognize the world anymore. Same. I think a lot of people in the United States feel that way.
• I was surprised that nobody thought that the paintings they found in the storage unit could be fakes or reproductions of the stolen photos.

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FBI airs on CBS on Mondays at 9/8c and streams on Paramount+ on Tuesdays.

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